Double Master Plan
by Peeet
Summary: 5. The Master lures the Doctor onto a populated planet that will collide with another planet very soon. The Master has aimed an explosive packed cargo spaceship where the Doctor is, and then steals his Tardis. Ommera is tied up in the Tardis so she can't do anything, and the Doctor is arrested and held, so the Doctor can't do anything either. Is all doomed?
1. Co-orbital Moons

**Double Master Plan**.

1 Co-orbital moons.

We join the Doctor and Ommera in the Tardis Control room. The Doctor would like to treat Ommera to another adventure, but Ommera would like something a bit more restful. "Can we go somewhere quiet and restful for a change?"

"That I can't guarantee," the Doctor says. "There always seems to be something needing attention somewhere. But… we can try. We could go to visit a planet with co-orbital moons."

"That sounds interesting. What are they?" Ommera asks.

"It's just where two moons are going around a planet and they change each other's orbits every time they pass each other," the Doctor tells her. "Highly improbable, but it does happen. Earth has a planet in its solar system, Saturn, with many moons, two of which are co-orbital moons. Up for it?"

"Yes. It sounds peaceful, too," Ommera agrees. She is relieved that a safe outing might be possible.

The Doctor had met Ommera when she accidentally wandered into the Tardis on her home planet, Slint, thinking it was a museum. Since then she has become his companion. Today, Ommera is wearing blue chinos and a red shirt.

"Crystelle?" the Doctor asks.

"Yes. That's fine," Crystelle says.

"Ok, let's go then." The Doctor is straight on to it.

Crystelle's home planet is Tinsel. She is travelling with the Doctor and Ommera having been of comfort to the Doctor in an earlier episode. She is wearing a neat dark blue skirt and a white blouse with blue dots on it.

The Doctor checks co-ordinates on the Tardis console.

"Saturn… Moon… Epimetheus," the Doctor says. "It is a little more difficult to land on a small moon which is more like a cratered rock. But it is possible. Oh, and there is at least a little gravity, so we shouldn't drift away totally if we step incautiously. Just don't actually jump. Could take ages to come down again."

The Doctor types in co-ordinates and pulls a lever. The Tardis grinds.

The Tardis shudders. Then the Tardis grinds again.

"What was that?" the Doctor asks. He looks at one of the console monitors. He sighs. "Oh. Not Saturn. We have gone to… DiPlanet Solum One. A plain sun with two planets only, one is slightly smaller than Earth, the other is about half the size. We're on the primary planet of the two."

"Where's that?" Ommera asks.

"Sorry, not Saturn. Why have we come here?" the Doctor asks. He presses a few buttons and observes a monitor screen. "A distress signal has brought us here… There's a planetary collision due… In a few weeks' time."

Ommera is disappointed. If she was going to watch a planetary collision, she wanted it to be now, not in a few weeks' time. "That sounds far off."

"Yes," the Doctor agrees. "But there is a moderate population on this planet. So many, we can't hope to get them all off. It would take ages even if everyone just kept filing through the door – far longer than there is left. I'm sorry, but there's not much hope for them."

"How long have we got," Crystelle asks, "and how many people are there? Can we have a go?"

"Can we try?" Ommera chimes in.

The Doctor is aghast. "What, alarm a whole planet full of people to come to pass through just one door to safety? Pandemonium! Let's see what's going on here first."

"How are we going to do that?" Ommera asks. She hasn't been on many outings from the Tardis yet.

"Let's start by going out and seeing what's happening," the Doctor says.

They go out of the Tardis.

* * *

_Many adventures start with such an outing. Should this be any different? What will they find?_


	2. DiPlanet Solum One

2 DiPlanet Solum One.

It is a pleasant day. The sun is shining.

A small group of children is approaching, chatting. They are unaware of the Tardis parked behind a tree.

Crystelle is the youngest companion and volunteers to chat to the children by stepping forwards. "Hello. My name is Crystelle, this is Ommera. Who are you?"

"Terry," Terry says. "This is Larry and Trish."

"Good to meet you," Ommera says. "You like playing games? That looks like swell games machines you have there."

"Yes, it's the best by miles," Terry says. "There's never been anything like it."

The Doctor is suddenly interested. "Can I see?"

Terry shows the Doctor his gaming machine in action. His friends join in on their small games' consoles.

"Wow," Ommera says. "Thank you for showing me. That's great."

"Where did you get it?" the Doctor asks.

Terry pauses his game. "Got it in the _Being_ shop, just over there." Terry points.

A row of large new shopping park malls are visible in the distance.

"How long has the game been around?" the Doctor asks.

"Only a week," Terry says. "It's the best!"

"Where is it manufactured?" the Doctor asks.

"Probably in the Techno Park just over there," Terry points.

The Doctor, Ommera and Crystelle look across in the direction that Terry has pointed.

A low-rise glass building impresses their sight. There is what looks like a small monument just outside – a rectangular grey block with indented flat sides, about the size of the Tardis police box. The Doctor comments on it, "I'm sure I've seen something like that before. Why is it commemorated here?"

"Thank you," Crystelle says.

The group of children wander off, happily playing their games.

"How lovely," Ommera says.

The Doctor is thoughtful. "But the technology they are using is way beyond what this planet should have just now. And they didn't have a Techno Park when I last looked in this era. I want to know who has introduced it."

"But shouldn't we be more concerned with the planetary collision?" Ommera asks.

"I want to know how this planet sent an intergalactic distress signal. That's way beyond their technology," the Doctor says.

The Doctor, Ommera and Crystelle go back into the Tardis.

"Shall we walk over there?" Ommera asks.

"No," the Doctor says, "I bet they'll have security on the doors. We'll just land inside the building."

The Doctor presses a few buttons. The console monitor changes to show a building plan of the low building they have just seen. The Doctor touches the screen where he wants to go. Ommera joins the Doctor to see where they are likely to go. "There. We'll go there," the Doctor says.

The Doctor pulls a lever. The Tardis grinds.

"Just in a small room?" Ommera asks.

"Yes," the Doctor says. "Not a toilet. Just a store cupboard. And it's near a conference room."

"Why is that useful?" Ommera asks.

"When I start talking with them I expect we will need a large conference room," the Doctor relishes. "Do either of you have a Mathematics degree?"

"No, sorry," Ommera has to disappoint him. Her speciality is in spaceship mechanics. She was aiming for a ground-based career.

"I do," Crystelle pipes up. "What are you going to tell them?"

The Doctor doesn't answer her question. Instead, he must find out just how the place is run. "Would you come with me, Crystelle? Ommera, could you stay in the Tardis, please?"

Ommera is disappointed to have to stay in the Tardis. What has Crystelle got that she hasn't? Surely she won't need her Mathematics degree just yet!

The Doctor and Crystelle go to the Tardis door, and Crystelle opens it.

* * *

_Does Ommera need to be jealous of Crystelle? Why has Ommera been told to stay in the Tardis?_


	3. The Storeroom

3 The Storeroom.

Crystelle looks down at the floor before they step out. "Oh, yuk!"

The Doctor is behind Crystelle. "What's up?"

"There's something sticky oozing from under the Tardis." Crystelle steps past the mess to let the Doctor look.

"Oh. We've landed on something." the Doctor isn't too worried, but he feels he ought to raise his awareness of just what the mess is. He stoops and swipes his finger through a black gloopy substance. He sniffs it, then licks it off his finger. "Treacle?"

"It's a kitchen storeroom." Crystelle indicates shelves with flour and baking powder stacked high.

"Could have been a lot worse," the Doctor says.

"What's the worst thing you've landed your Tardis in?" Crystelle asks.

"No time for that just now," the Doctor says. He feels he needs to get on, yet he makes time for his companion. "Ok, somewhere boggy with acid pooling around it. I got out, but I couldn't get back in. The Tardis sank almost completely out of sight in that yuk."

"Oh no!" Crystelle groans.

The Doctor thinks for a moment that Crystelle has spotted something else worth pausing for. "What now?"

"That must have been awful," Crystelle says.

Nothing more to verify, the Doctor moves on. "Yes, it was. Now we must get on."

The Doctor flashes his sonic screwdriver at the door lock for the storeroom. Sparks fly and the Doctor can then open the door.

They close the door carefully after them. "Let's not draw attention to ourselves," the Doctor says. "Keep the place tidy."

The Doctor and Crystelle approach a girl in her twenties. She is wearing a white tee shirt with red text _He matters (not me)_ spread over three lines of text. Her name badge says "Wendy Buck, Assistant Science Officer".

(Spoiler: She is the Master's assistant, but no-one needs to know that, nor that the Master has detected the Doctor's presence and sent her out to check.)

"Could you take us to someone who is in charge please?" the Doctor asks.

The girl looks alarmed and runs off quickly.

"Bother. Why did she run off?" the Doctor asks.

"We're inside a secure building and you just wander up and ask to see someone in charge?" Crystelle says. "Let's go before security lock us up."

If they had entered through the outer door, they would have passed through security and been escorted through the building, not been allowed to just wander about anywhere. The Doctor and Crystelle quickly walk away from that area.

"What do you suggest?" the Doctor asks. He wants to see if Crystelle can work out how to overcome problems.

"There's a secretary's reception desk for that office over there," Crystelle says. "We can ask."

The Doctor and Crystelle approach the secretary.

"I believe there is a planetary collision due," Crystelle says confidently. "We're here to help."

"Oh, thank you," the secretary says.

"You sent a distress signal," the Doctor says. "We're part of the response."

Crystelle says quietly to the Doctor, "part? We are the response."

The secretary makes a phone call.

The secretary is on the phone, "The distress signal response team is here to see you now."

"That's so helpful," Crystelle says gratefully. She is only too pleased that the secretary hadn't phoned security.

"That's alright," the secretary says. "You can come straight through to the office just now."

"Thank you," Crystelle says.

The secretary leads them through into a moderate sized office. This personage is clearly of some importance.

"Greetings," the Doctor says. "You sent a distress signal."

"We believe the planet is on a collision course?" Crystelle re-joins.

"Yes," the manager says. "It's all rather strange. Our sister planet has been gradually approaching our planet for decades, and we haven't needed to do anything about it, but it has been getting rather close for comfort. But recently we were approached and offered the means of sending an intergalactic distress signal."

"Who would have done that? It's rather good luck. And very timely," Crystelle points out.

"That's a point," the Doctor says, suddenly more concerned. "What did they look like?"

"Black robe, red on the inside," the manager says. "Top hat. Not your every-day personage."

Crystelle turns to the Doctor and asks him, "do you know anyone like that?"

"Could be any one of a number of people," the Doctor says. "None of them very nice. Oh dear."

The Doctor wants to tell Crystelle about some of his enemies but doesn't want to say anything with the manager there. "This feels like a trap," the Doctor says quietly to Crystelle.

"There are lots of people trapped on this planet," Crystelle agrees. Not quite what the Doctor meant, but she had a good point. The Doctor must just carry on and do whatever it takes.

The Doctor would like to know more about the distress signal device, but the moment has passed.

One of the employees, Alan Smith, knocks and immediately enters the room.

Alan Smith is wearing a white tee shirt bearing the words in red _He Matters (Me)_ spread over three lines. He is also wearing a name badge: _Alan Smith. Science Officer_.

(Spoiler: "He Matters" is an anagram of "The Master"!)

"Heard you had company," Alan Smith says.

The Doctor immediately recognises the anagram as a possibility that the Master is involved. For him not to recognise the Master, the Master must be wearing a ring of recognition. No ring is visible on Alan Smith's hand, so how is he wearing it? The Doctor starts puzzling these things.

"Yes," the Doctor says. "We've come to help you. We need to know your astronomical observations. Then we can calculate just when… things might happen."

"Yes," the manager says. "Meet Alan Smith, our science officer. Erm. What did you say your names were?"

"I'm the Doctor and this is Crystelle, my companion."

Crystelle curtseys. "Glad to meet you."

"We should calculate the moment of impact," the Doctor says. "Then we will know how much time we have for rescue."

"Alan, this is your field," the manager says.

"Thank you," the Doctor says. "Alan, do you have a team of people to help process all of the data?"

"I think I can rustle up a few people," Alan replies. "Keep them distracted."

"Everyone in this building knows of the problem," the manager says. "We haven't told anyone outside yet. It would only worry them."

Alan Smith grins. It almost looks evil. Crystelle is looking at Alan Smith and becomes alarmed.

"Good," the Doctor says. "Can you get the team together, Alan? We'll need them for data comparison entry."

"What data are we comparing?" Crystelle asks.

"I want to compare my data about the planet course to the observations made here," the Doctor replies. "I'll have to fetch it shortly. I have an idea it could be rather revealing." If the Doctor is right in his suspicion about Alan Smith being the Master, this might provoke some response.

Alan Smith leaves the room.

"What can I do?" Crystelle asks.

"Could you join in with the calculations?" the Doctor requests. "And keep an eye on things here?"

"Sure," Crystelle assents. She feels a bit left out. What will the Doctor be doing? Will he be with her? She feels unnerved by Alan Smith and doesn't want to be anywhere near him.

* * *

_What will Alan Smith be doing? Why did he leave suddenly?_


	4. What is Alan Smith Doing?

4 What is Alan Smith Doing?

Meanwhile Ommera is in the Tardis.

Ommera is sitting on the Slint park bench in the Tardis control room, reading the Tardis Maintenance manual.

Ommera looks up and notices on the Tardis console monitor that there is someone in the storeroom with the Tardis. "Who is that in the storeroom?" She gets up and goes over to the Tardis console and looks closely at the monitor.

The person in the storeroom is Alan Smith, but Ommera hasn't seen him before. Alan Smith is wearing a name badge on his tee shirt, clearly visible to Ommera.

"He Matters (me)… Alan Smith," Ommera reads off his clothing and then his name badge.

Alan Smith comes to be right outside the Tardis door. "Settings… disabling the door from latching on the next operation only," he says under his breath. "That's as far as I can penetrate."

Ommera can hear the shrill buzz of his sonic screwdriver doing something; she feels her flesh creep. Then Alan Smith crouches to hide behind a stack of flour bags.

"Why would he hide? What's he up to?" Ommera puzzles. She is alarmed. She decides she must tell the Doctor somehow to warn him. Maybe she can write a note to the Doctor and try to get it to him.

Ommera has been told to wait in the Tardis, so there she must stay. "Tardis, is there some paper I can use to write a note to the Doctor?".

The Tardis flashes a light by a small compartment on the console. Ommera opens the compartment and retrieves a pencil and paper.

"Thank you," Ommera says gently. "Tardis, could you please get this note to the Doctor? I have an idea it's important."

Ommera starts to write the note. She speaks what she is writing as she is writing it. "Alan Smith is hiding near the Tardis. I am in the Tardis. O for Ommera and a kiss."

Ommera blows a kiss at the paper as she finishes.

"I'm thirsty now," Ommera says. She goes off to the kitchen for a drink of water with the paper and pen.

Just then the Doctor enters the Tardis, he doesn't see Ommera, and doesn't notice that the door fails to latch. He hadn't felt the need to check everything as he had closed the storeroom door, locking it from the inside.

"I'll only be a moment," the Doctor says to himself.

The Doctor is in a hurry to get historical Tardis data on the planet course and runs through the Tardis control room on into a corridor to where the planetary data could be printed.

Alan Smith takes advantage of the Tardis door not latching, follows the Doctor into the Tardis and hides in the Tardis control room.

The Doctor leaves the Tardis with the printed data, closing the door, which latches as it should.

Alan Smith comes out from hiding. "Hah! The fool!"

Ommera hears this and starts off towards the Tardis control room. She leaves the pen in the kitchen.

In the Tardis Control room, Alan Smith immediately crosses to the Tardis console. He takes the Tardis to Lab2, a spaceship not far away.

As the Tardis grinds, Ommera is holding the note. The note disappears from her hand. She looks down at her empty hand. "Oh, wow. It's gone." She carries on walking and enters the Tardis control room.

Alan Smith sees her. "Come over here!" he commands.

Ommera feels she has no choice, she steps over towards Alan Smith, trembling.

"Now, sit on that chair," Alan Smith barks. He indicates one of the plastic chairs.

Ommera sits down, dejectedly. She recognises when she is beaten.

"Tardis: Rope!" Alan Smith commands loudly.

The Tardis has to produce rope. The light level reduces considerably as the Tardis is not in favour of Alan Smith tying up Ommera.

Alan Smith produces a torch and ties Ommera to the chair in the near dark. "That will keep you out of mischief!" He taunts Ommera to try to make her hate the Doctor, "you are nothing to the Doctor. He has his companion with him. You are just vermin to him. He is using you," he hisses.

Alan Smith leaves the Tardis.

* * *

_What is Alan Smith doing? The Doctor has lost his Tardis. Ommera is tied up. Can Ommera do anything? Will Ommera stay faithful to the Doctor?_


	5. Surprise as the Doctor Leaves

5 **Surprise as the Doctor Leaves**.

From the Doctor's perspective in the storeroom, he hears the Tardis and turns to see his Tardis disappear. "No, no, no," he shouts.

The Doctor sees Ommera's note drift down and picks it up. He reads it. "Alan Smith is waiting near the Tardis. I am in the Tardis. Ox," the Doctor reads out loud. "No, no, no. What does all that mean. Who is _Ox_?"

**Tell the Tardis**.

In the Tardis, Ommera fully recognises that even though she is tied up securely, she can tell the Tardis to do things because the voice control is on. "Tardis, can you please scan whatever is out there and record your findings?" She must have something to tell the Doctor.

A ping noise indicates completeness of the task.

"Tardis, please can you retrace the last journey back to the previous location?"

The Tardis grinds.

**Surprise as the Tardis returns**.

In the storeroom, the Doctor is holding Ommera's note in his hand. The Tardis re-appears, grinding. The Doctor braces himself for whoever 'Ox' is. He commands, "Ox. Come on out, whoever you are!"

No-one comes out.

The Doctor opens the door and enters the Tardis warily and sees Ommera tied up to the chair.

"Sorry, I'm a bit tied up at the moment," Ommera can't resist the classic line.

The Doctor drops the scrappy pile of printed planetary data that he was carrying and immediately unties Ommera. She stands up and embraces the Doctor and they kiss passionately but briefly.

"Oh, my dear, what has happened?" the Doctor asks.

"Someone called Alan Smith was hiding in the storeroom and must have got into the Tardis," Ommera says. "But somehow he knew how to fly the Tardis without using voice control."

"What?!" the Doctor exclaims. "How did he get in? I have had a suspicion that Alan Smith is the Master."

"Who is that?"

"My race but my arch enemy."

"He was rather awful," Ommera says. "I saw him creep into the food storeroom and hide. He had a good look at the Tardis, so I had a good look at him. He had a name badge on him. So, I wrote that note for you. And I resolved to be in the Tardis so that if he did somehow get in, I could at least do something."

"And you have!" the Doctor enthuses. "You've saved the day! But what have you done with him? And who is 'Ox'?" The Doctor shows Ommera her note with 'Ox' at the end.

Ommera laughs. "Oh, sorry, that's me. 'O' for Ommera with a kiss."

They both laugh.

The Doctor has had other concerns. "I was so worried that I had yet another enemy; like 'Bad Wolf'!"

"What or who was Bad Wolf?"

"Long story," the Doctor doesn't really want to be drawn on this subject just now.

"I, er, asked the Tardis to scan where we went to, but I was a bit tied up, so I haven't been able to look at the results."

They go over to the Tardis console and the Doctor looks at the results.

"You were on a spaceship heading directly for here," the Doctor concludes.

"Here?" Ommera is alarmed. "A spaceship heading directly for here?"

The Doctor recognises what Ommera has just been alarmed about. "Oh no! You're right. It's far worse than I thought. We are all meant to die here in…" The Doctor consults the scan results. "… a few hours' time!" The Doctor is almost despairing for all of the people destined to die at the hands of the Master. "Do I raise the alert on the planet? Or just in this Techno Park? Do I try to rescue everyone? … How?"

"To summarise…" Ommera says. "There's a neighbouring planet due to collide with this planet…"

"In a few weeks' time," the Doctor fills in.

"And a spaceship due to hit this Techno Park in a few hours' time," Ommera continues. Then she barks, "He's thorough!"

"He's having a really good go at getting me," the Doctor says.

"BUT…" Ommera says, feeling pleased, "we have the Tardis. So, the Master is stuck on the spaceship heading to crash here."

The Doctor has thought of a problem with that assumption. "But he will have a summoner key fob to bring his own Tardis to him when he wants it."

"Oh, bother. So, he's not trapped on the spaceship."

The Doctor joins in her disappointment, "no." The Doctor continues to look at the scan results. "And that's not all. He's locked all of the spaceship crew individually in separate rooms in the spaceship. A spaceship that will collide with here in only a few hours' time. But it will take much longer to release all of them."

"You can't save the Techno Park people AND the spaceship people," Ommera says.

"I haven't much chance of saving many people at all," the Doctor says. "And if you hadn't managed to bring the Tardis back I'd have no chance! Let's go to the spaceship and see if we can do anything."

"Shall I request evacuation of the Techno Park before we go?" Ommera asks.

"I will," the Doctor declares.

The Doctor leaves the Tardis. Ommera goes to the door to watch.

The Doctor goes to speak to two security guards standing in the corridor nearby. Ommera watches from the storeroom doorway.

One of the security guards immediately handcuffs the Doctor. "Alan Smith said you were a troublemaker and should be detained."

"Key fobs, any other devices?" The guards rapidly remove the Doctor's sonic screwdriver and Tardis summoner fob.

Both of the security guards rapidly bundle the Doctor away under protest.

"What?!" Ommera is almost speechless.

* * *

_Ommera is all alone to oppose the Master. She has no idea what to do. The Doctor isn't able to do anything. What can she do? What will she do?_


	6. Desolation

6 Desolation.

Ommera steps back into the Tardis and closes the door. She is trembling and collapses slowly down the wall. What can she do? The Doctor would know what to do. What would he have done?

After a few moments which feel like ages to Ommera, she gets up and goes across to the Tardis console. Her knees are like jelly. She staggers as she goes.

"Oh, Tardis," Ommera is upset but manages to speak, somehow. "The Doctor has been taken away. There is a spaceship heading to crash here and I'm the only one able to do anything about it."

The Tardis grinds and takes Ommera to the Lab2 spaceship.

Ommera is dismayed and looks at the console screen nearest to her with tears in her eyes.

The console screen is showing the scene just outside the Tardis. Simply a deserted spaceship sub-control room. "How can **I** do anything?"

Ommera steps out of the Tardis.

Ommera is in a spaceship sub-control room (not the main bridge). It is deserted (all of the spaceship staff are locked away).

"Deserted." Ommera says dejectedly.

There is a small oval flight console nearby. Ommera looks at it. There is a _Flight Manual_ nearby in a wall recess. She picks it up, sits on a small chair and starts reading. "Flight Manual. A reference manual for operations. It could take ages to read enough to do anything." She sighs. "I'd better get on with it, though! Index…"

Ommera uses the index to find a few pages.

She tweaks some of the controls. None of the controls work. "Bother, the controls have all been disabled."

She thinks some more, looking through the index. "I could jettison the cargo bay to reduce the ship's weight on impact. It might make a difference to the severity of impact."

Ommera presses a few buttons on the console while referring to the manual.

There is a loud deep cavernous metallic creak followed by a loud cavernous metallic clunk.

Ommera looks at the small display screen on the console monitor. The display screen shows pictorially the cargo bay separating and drifting away from the main ship very slowly.

An audio intercom interrupts her. She recognises the voice of Alan Smith. "Permit opening of the door from the cargo bay into the main ship."

Ommera tenses, then controls her panic. He had tied her up in the Tardis.

Ommera presses the 'communicate' button on the console and answers him with a professional calm. "What is the problem?"

"I'm in the cargo bay," Alan Smith booms and commands, "and I want to go back into the main ship, but the door won't open. Open it!"

Ommera is surprised the communications still work. The cargo bay mustn't have drifted away very far. Naturally, the door won't open – it isn't an air lock, it will just grab, and hold shut. "What are you doing in the cargo bay?"

"I'm not telling you," Alan Smith hisses.

"What is your name?" Ommera recognises that she practically has him as her prisoner. She can extract any amount of information from him just now.

"I am the Master!" Alan Smith says menacingly.

"Why are you in the cargo bay?" Ommera is trying to keep calm and professional. She doubts that the Master has ever been "professional".

Ommera presses a button on the console and she has video connection. Beyond Alan Smith she can see stacks of explosives. The cargo bay is so full that there is hardly room for Alan Smith to stand up.

"You?!" Alan Smith shouts. "What are you doing? How did you get free? I tied you up expertly!"

"You've had much practice?" Ommera initially aims to shame him with this, but the Master is far worse than she anticipated.

"Yes, I have!" Alan Smith yells aggressively.

Ommera really doesn't want to have the Master back on the spaceship, but also she feels that she can't just leave him to perish. She doesn't know that the Master is quite such an arch enemy of the Doctor.

"When have you set those explosives to detonate?" Ommera asks.

"Immediately before impact," Alan Smith wants to alarm her into action. "I'm your best hope of getting out of here alive! Now get this door open! Quick!"

Ommera feels she can't just let Alan Smith die in the cargo bay. "I'll have to find out how it might be possible to help you. Please could you wait a moment. I'll put you on hold."

Ommera presses a 'mute' button and the sound mutes. She can see Alan Smith mouthing off at her silently on the display.

"Oi! You! I'll get you for this. Open this door," she lipreads. There is no sound.

Alan Smith raises his forefinger at her. Ommera presses another button to blank the display, too.

* * *

_Being in trouble with the Master is not an enviable position, but Ommera doesn't know that!_


	7. In Trouble with the Master

7 In Trouble with The Master.

"I can't leave him there to die in the cargo bay. I must give him some chance."

Ommera consults a page near the front of the manual – where there are diagrams of the spaceship. She presses the buttons again to resume audio communication.

"I've found that there is an escape capsule attached to the cargo bay. Over and Out."

Ommera presses a button on the console to cut the communications link. She has given him the way out, but he is getting no more.

"I wonder if I can deny the escape capsule docking until a bit later?" She uses the index, finds a page and presses a few buttons on the console.

Later on, Alan Smith will encounter the words "docking denied" on the display of the small escape capsule when he tries to dock with the spaceship.

Ommera smiles. "Back in control. Still over half an hour until impact. What can I do?" She looks down at the floor around the console. She notices some messy cabling. As a Spaceport Spaceship Ground Maintenance Engineer, Ommera knows the cabling shouldn't be like that. She starts tugging at the cabling to free it. "This is far too messy. All my training tells me that this wiring shouldn't be like this. Let's tidy it up." She tugs hard at the cabling, plugs come undone and it comes off loose in her hand, as she had expected. "That's better."

There is a large explosion. The spaceship lurches and judders. Ommera falls to her left to the floor as her feet are pulled from under her by the spaceship movement to the right. "Oh, my goodness. What happened there?" She is shocked.

She gets up, feeling her bruises, and goes over to the console. The console display shows her what has happened. Alarms are everywhere on the screen.

Ommera has inadvertently triggered the early detonation of the explosives in the cargo bay. "Cargo bay destroyed? Was that wiring arranging for that?" She looks incredulously at the wires still in her hand. She drops the wires.

Then she has another idea. "That was a large explosion. Have we changed course much? We might miss the Techno Park? Heading direction…"

Ommera consults the manual and presses a few buttons. "Visual…"

The small display screen shows the planet to one side.

"Wow. Not even heading for the planet now. That explosion changed our course; just a bit!"

Ommera goes back into the Tardis.

**Appointment with the Doctor**.

Ommera approaches the Tardis control console. "Tardis, can we return to find the Doctor, please?"

The Tardis grinds, pauses, then grinds again.

**Cell Conversation**.

Ommera steps out of the Tardis into a security holding cell. The Doctor is sitting on a plain bench. His hair is a mess. He has been sitting head in hands wondering what to do, and desperately worried for Ommera, the planet, the Techno Park, the spacecraft crew… Everyone!

"Ommera?" the Doctor says in a surprised whisper.

The Doctor rises. Then Doctor and Ommera kiss passionately. The Doctor takes them into the Tardis, and they close the door.

**Revelation Confirmed**.

They need to talk.

"The spaceship is no longer heading for the Techno Park, or even the planet," Ommera starts.

"How did you manage that?" the Doctor says incredulously.

"And I nearly killed the master."

"What?! It is him, then?" the Doctor wants to know.

"Yes. He told me his name when I asked him. I had him over a barrel."

"What barrel?" the Doctor asks.

"Just a figure of speech. Just now the Master is stuck in a tiny escape pod. I denied him docking. The docking mechanism will hold him there, though."

"Wow," the Doctor says admiringly. "You did all that single-handedly?"

"Both hands," Ommera waggles both of her hands in a quip. "I didn't know where to start, but the Tardis thoughtfully put me down near a flight sub-console. Then, I just read the manual."

"You must have had a few ideas?" the Doctor asks.

"Reading the manual gave me a few ideas," Ommera says. "I just started to look for ways of reducing the bulk of the spaceship, so I jettisoned the cargo bay. The cargo bay had explosives in. It exploded and changed the course of the ship."

"Wow, so simple," the Doctor says. "We should wrap things up on the spacecraft. Currently the crew are all locked up and the Master is outside in a small capsule. We can't leave it like that for long. He might think of some way of escape."

"Tardis," Ommera says, "can we go to the spaceship, Lab2, where I've just come from, please?"

The Tardis grinds and materialises on the spaceship in a security centre.

"So, that's how you fly the Tardis?" the Doctor says.

"Of course," Ommera says. "How do you fly the Tardis? That's a complete mystery to me."

"I'll show you sometime. But we must turn off the voice control." The Doctor reaches and presses the voice control button to turn off the voice control. The illuminating blue light goes out. "Far too chancy."

Ommera sighs. "I'm ready to learn."

"Tardis," the Doctor requests, "could I have the data that Ommera asked you to record earlier on a memory chip that they might be able to read on this spaceship, please?"

"Don't you need the Voice Control on to do that?" Ommera asks.

"No," the Doctor replies. "It only controls navigation requests."

The Tardis console opens a small receptacle from which a memory chip is produced.

"What's that for?"

"Evidence."

"About what?"

"Against the Master. You don't think I want to mind him forever do you?"

"No, I guess not."

"Sorry, I possibly came across rather forcefully there, please forgive me."

"Of course. I'm fine," Ommera says.

The Doctor and Ommera leave the Tardis.

**Spaceship Security**.

There are plenty of keys in the security control room. They pick up a few bunches.

"Let's let a few of the crew out," the Doctor says. "Then they can let the rest of the crew out."

"Can we just take a moment?" Ommera asks. She catches hold of the Doctor's elbow and turns him towards her. They embrace and kiss. "You rush too much. We need to take some time."

"Thank you; I do rush, maybe," the Doctor admits. "I just like to get on with things that need doing."

The Doctor and Ommera leave the security control room.

**Finding a Security Man when you want him**.

The Doctor and Ommera find a security man and unlock him first.

"Here are some keys," the Doctor says. "Can you let out a few security staff first, then all of the crew? We have a security problem with the chap who locked you all up. Alan Smith is his name. He is in a space capsule just now trying to dock. He must be apprehended. I have all the evidence here on this memory chip." The Doctor hands the memory chip to the security man. "Oh, and er, make sure you take any key fobs off him."

The Doctor makes this sound like a careless parting request, but for the Doctor, this is essential.

* * *

_Is the pressure off? Ommera is doing well. Can they do anything for the planet or rescue its population?_


	8. Can the Planet be Saved

8 Can the Planet be saved?

The Doctor and Ommera go back into the Tardis.

"Did you just send the Master into custody?" Ommera asks.

"That might be the best place for him. Keep him out of trouble for a bit. Spaceship sorted. Now the planet."

"How are you going to do anything for the planet?" Ommera asks.

"No idea yet. Let's find out what we can."

They have been approaching the Tardis console during the conversation above. The Doctor views the long low Techno Park building plan on the monitor. He sees the Manager's office and points to it on the monitor. "There's the Manager's office." He types in a co-ordinate and pulls a lever. The Tardis grinds and they appear in the Manager's office.

"I'd better take the historical planetary data," the Doctor says. He picks up the scrappy pile of planetary data from the floor near the door (where he dropped it to untie Ommera earlier).

They leave the Tardis.

The Manager's office is deserted.

Half of a crushed metal mesh waste basket is poking out from under the Tardis.

"I guess this room is too small for a team of people to calculate planetary trajectories," Ommera says. "I recall there is a conference room …"

"Just round on the left," the Doctor interrupts. "You lead the way."

The Doctor and Ommera leave the Manager's office.

The conference room has a dozen mathematical geniuses including Crystelle sitting round a table with reams of computer printout, lots of paper, calculators, pens and pencils. All present are hard at work with calculators and writing down results calculated.

"All hard at it, I see," the Doctor says. "How are we doing?"

All the mathematicians look up from their work.

"Complicated?" Ommera has no idea how infuriating that casual remark might be.

"We think the planets will collide in just three weeks and two days' time," Crystelle says. "We're just checking."

"Gosh, that's soon," Ommera says.

The Doctor has another problem that must be worked on right now. "Now we need to know when the neighbouring planet changed course." He puts down the pile of data he has been carrying. A groan is heard from the mathematicians. "And why. Here is the data as recorded historical data that is unaffected by intermediate mysterious change. We know that this planet would not have been selected for population if it had been known that the planet would be destroyed soon. So, we know that something has happened to affect that."

The Doctor grins triumphantly. He knows he is right now – the Master has been involved. "The big question is – when. If we compare the data you have collected with the data I have, we might see when something is likely to have changed."

The team set to work comparing their recorded data with the Tardis historical data. A zany computer programmer with wild hair (like the chap in _The IT Crowd_) starts tapping in a program with the Doctor's supervision and close help.

Ommera goes back to the Tardis. She can't help here. She wonders how she might help.

**Ommera's Calculation**.

Ommera presses the Voice Control button (she didn't need to as the voice control is for the navigation).

"Tardis, please could you calculate when this or the neighbouring planet deviated from its historical course?"

The Tardis prints the answer.

"Wow, thank you Tardis, you are so wonderful," Ommera isn't sure just how to thank the Tardis. She leaves the Tardis with the printout.

**Presentation**.

Ommera enters the conference room and goes over to the Doctor. She presents the printout to the Doctor.

"Where did you get this from?" the Doctor asks.

Ommera grins. "I just asked the Tardis."

"So, all this is a waste of time?"

"Sorry."

The Doctor is really thankful. "But you are too remarkable!"

The Doctor looks at the printout and smiles. "Wow."

Wow – about Ommera's actions. The Doctor embraces and kisses Ommera.

"Wow," Ommera says.

Wow – about the Doctor kissing her again.

They go back to the Tardis without stopping the mathematicians.


	9. Tracing the Change

9 **Tracing the Change**.

The Doctor shares his latest plan. "We must go back to when and where the neighbouring planet changed course and see what happened."

Without the Doctor or Ommera doing anything the Tardis grinds and goes back to that time, that place.

"Oops, I left the voice control on," Ommera admits.

The Doctor turns the voice control off. "It would be wasteful if we had happened to mention something in conversation…"

"Ok," Ommera says. "Actually, it was instrumental in me being able to bring the Tardis back when I was tied up."

"Oh, yes, of course," the Doctor says. He is very pleased with that. "I did wonder how you managed."

The Doctor turns the voice control back on again as a gesture of good will towards it.

The Doctor looks at the Tardis console monitor nearest him. Ommera is looking at a different one.

"See if you can see anything odd happening on the console monitor," the Doctor says… "Nothing happening…"

"Record this," Ommera says quickly.

"Why, what did you see?" the Doctor asks.

"I don't know what I saw, and it's gone now," Ommera says. "Tardis, could you replay for the Doctor to see?"

The Tardis console monitor shows a blue line appear, then disappear a few seconds later.

"A tractor beam?" the Doctor says in amazement. "But what from? Can we zoom in on the source of the tractor beam?"

The monitor zooms along the tractor beam until the Doctor can see…

"Uh. The Master's Tardis."

The Master's Tardis is a dull grey rectangular shape (a similar size and shape to the Tardis, just purely angular) indented flat walls, and two door knobs where the doors are.

"I knew he was up to no good," Ommera says.

"He never is up to any good. But we can fix this. Just wait until he has gone."

**Ommera's first idea**.

"He already went," Ommera says. "Tardis, can we go to near where the Master's Tardis was?"

The Tardis relocates, grinding.

"Can we go to a position on exactly the other side of the planet?"

The Tardis grinds again.

"Can we use a tractor beam to deflect the planet back on its previous course?"

A tractor beam ejects from the Tardis and a few seconds later it retracts.

"All done," Ommera says, gloating.

"No… Incredible. That would have taken ages to calculate."

"But haven't we just infringed the time manipulation guidelines?" Ommera asks.

"No more than the Master," the Doctor says. "It is true, you have corrected the problem. But when we get back, they won't have sent a distress signal. Also, the Master would just come back and have another go."

"We'll just have to hope they don't notice," Ommera says.

"Of course they'll notice!" the Doctor says.

"Oh dear. Should we put the planet off course again? Then change its course nearer the time?"

"No," the Doctor says. "We only need a tiny nudge at this early point in time. Later it would be massive. You may be right to put the neighbouring planet back on course now."

**Ommera's second idea**.

"Tardis, is there a way to deflect the planet now, but maybe not quite as much, but enough to worry them, then later deflect it again so it won't actually collide with the other planet?"

The Tardis grinds and places itself back where the Master's Tardis had been. A tractor beam ejects again from the Tardis for a few seconds. Then the Tardis grinds again.

The Doctor looks at a console monitor. "Just three months before we arrived. That's cutting it close."

Again, a tractor beam ejects from the Tardis. This time for a longer time. The Tardis grinds again and takes them back to the conference room where Crystelle is.

**But, Who Will Thank You**?

Papers fly everywhere from the conference table as the Tardis lands.

Crystelle gets up to greet them. The others around the table take cover under the table and emerge gradually over the next few seconds as they realise that Crystelle isn't fazed.

The Doctor steps out of the Tardis.

"Everyone is amazed," Crystelle says. "We've found a mistake in our previous calculations. Now, using very recent data only, we've calculated that the two planets are co-orbital. That is – they change each other's orbit every half year. We didn't need your data. The planets will come close, but never collide."

The Doctor is flabbergasted. "Ommera did this," he says under his breath. He calls kindly, "Ommera?"

Ommera emerges from the Tardis.

"You are truly amazing," the Doctor says. "You and the Tardis. But who will thank you? All the commotion about a collision was never needed. But, who will thank you?"

Ommera smiles. "Only you will."

The Doctor embraces her and kisses her. "Yes, I will."

THE END

* * *

_Information note: The previous episode_ _in this series__ is called "Step Carefully"_.

_The next episode_ _in this series__ is called "Cyber Cooking"_.


End file.
